


They Are There For Me

by escapethroughreading



Series: Running Towards Home Series [3]
Category: The Outsiders - S. E. Hinton
Genre: F/M, Romance, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-02
Updated: 2020-08-02
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:40:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 29
Words: 20,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25669825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/escapethroughreading/pseuds/escapethroughreading
Summary: Kira Winston, Dallas Winston's cousin, comes to live in Tulsa, where she ends up falling in love with a member of the gang. Arlene meets a boy named Ricky, who may just have feelings for her. Hope you enjoy the book!
Relationships: ponyboy/OFC
Series: Running Towards Home Series [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1857289
Kudos: 1





	1. Chapter 1

CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS:  
Sam - 15, bad ass. No parents, loves books. She talks a lot, and will not hesitate to punch someone. She may be short, but don’t let that fool you, she’s tough.

Ponyboy Curtis - 15, littlest Curtis. Likes books, movies, sweet, and a dreamer. Johnny is his best friend. Pony is on the track team and a fast runner.

Johnny Cade - 16, shy, scar on his cheek from being jumped. Abused at home, Dally’s favorite, Ponyboy is his best friend.

Sodapop Curtis - 17, funny, very nice, can make anyone laugh. High school dropout, works at the DX fixing cars with his best friend Steve. Middle Curtis child.

Steve Randle - 17, works at the DX with his best friend Sodapop. He’s cocky and good with cars. He loves chocolate cake more than anyone else in the gang.

Darrel/Darry Curtis - 20, tough but loving. He is the eldest Curtis brother, and takes care of everything. He is the main parental figure, and though he may fight with Ponyboy a lot, he loves his brothers more than anything. He keeps the door open for everyone.

Dallas/Dally Winston - 18, originally from NYC. He is tough, and does not show affection. He loves people but will never show it. He is in and out of jail, and he lives at Bucks, a bar. 

Two-Bit Matthews - 19 (and a ½), a junior in high school. He is always cracking jokes, and loves Mickey Mouse. He is drunk a lot, and he is friendly most of the time.

Arlene - 16, Johnny’s age. She is quiet, sweet, and a bit clumsy. She works at the Dingo.

Kira Winston - 17, tough as nails. Cousin of Dallas Winston. She’s kind, but only towards people she trusts.


	2. CHAPTER 1

KIRA’S POV:

I’m sitting at home, waiting for my mom to come home for dinner. She’s working the late shift. She always works the late shift so she doesn’t have to see me. She never even talks to me, besides a few greetings here and there. She’s hated me ever since dad left. She sees too much of him in me. I hear a knock on the door, and figure she must have forgotten her key. I go downstairs, and open the door. On the porch is a policeman and a man in a suit standing next to him. This does not bode well.

“Hello. I’m Officer Peterson. Are you Kira Winston?” the policeman asks. I just nod, suspicious. “Can we come in for a second?” I glare. “No. What are you doing here?” I ask. I’m not letting them in unless they have a warrant. “Listen, we need to talk about your mother.” My eyes go wide. If it’s about my mom, I guess they can come inside. I open the door wider, and they come in. I lead them to the living room, and they sit down on the couch. I sit across from them in a small chair.

“Kira, I know this might be hard to hear, but your mother has been arrested.” I raise an eyebrow. “What for?” I ask. I think he expects me to cry or something, and he keeps looking at me sympathetically. “She’s been implicated in a murder investigation. She might be going away to jail for a long time.” Now this, this surprises me. Impossible, even. I would never have guessed my mom would go to jail for something murder related.

The man in the suit sits up straighter, and clears his throat a bit. “I’m William Hawthorne. I work for the state. Since you have no current family at home, you will have to stay with your closest living relative. In this case, it’s your cousin, Dallas Winston.” I glare at him. “I don’t have a cousin. I’ve never met him.” I say. “Plus, I’m seventeen. I can take care of myself.” I argue. William just sighs. “It’s the law. We leave tonight. Pack up whatever you want to bring, the rest will be left as it is.” Now I’m furious. 

“I’m not just leaving my home!” I shout at them. “You have an hour to pack.” William says, not even giving me a glance. I know then I can’t fight them. They don’t care about me. To them I’m just paperwork. I go to the kitchen, grab a trash bag, and go to my room. I throw in my clothes, my sketchbook, and some toiletries. I don’t really have much. I walk back to the living room, and William stands up.

“Good. Come with me.” I follow him out to a shiny black car. I climb into the passenger seat, and he begins to drive. I realize then that he never even told me where Dallas lived. “Where are we going exactly?” I ask him. He never takes his eyes off the road. “Tulsa, Oklahoma.” He says. We don’t talk again. I can’t believe that my life has fallen apart in less than two hours. I might not get to go home again for years, I have to stay with a cousin I’ve never met, my mom is in jail, and I’m driving to a new state. This is crazy. 

I’m not even upset about my mom. That should worry me, but it doesn’t. She stopped worrying about me a long time ago, why should I worry about her? I just hope that when she gets out I know so I can come back home. I don’t plan on staying in Tulsa forever.


	3. CHAPTER 2

KIRA’S POV:

I wake up, and William is shaking me. “We’re here.” He says. I rub the sleep from my eyes. “I’ll give you a few minutes to straighten up, then we have to go inside.” He tells me. I give him a thumbs up, and he gets out of the car. I pull out a hairbrush, and run it through my blonde hair, untangling the knots. I pull down the little mirror in the car, and look in it. My blue eyes stare back at me. I step out of the car, straightening the wrinkles in my clothes the best I can.

In front of me is a worn down bar, called Buck’s. This hardly looks safer than my house. William ushers me to the front door, and knocks. A man opens the door, takes one look at us, and starts to close it again. William stops the door with his foot, and says “We need to see Dallas Winston.” The man raises an eyebrow, then shouts for Dallas. We wait a few moments, then a shirtless guy comes out, his blonde hair ruffled and a cigarette hanging from his lips. “Can I help you?” He asks. He looks at me, then at William. He steps outside.

“I’m William Hawthorne. Kira has been placed in your custody temporarily by the state until her mother is out of jail.” Dallas starts chuckling. “Is this some sort of joke? I don’t even know this broad.” He says, smirking. “I’m your cousin, and I ain’t no broad.” I hiss at him. His smirk grows wider. “Hm, maybe we are related after all. But look, she sure as hell isn’t living with me.” He says. William just shakes his head. “It can’t be helped. If you have any more questions, here is my number.” He says, handing Dallas a business card. Then he goes right back to his car, leaving without another thought.

Dallas stares at me, then sticks out his hand. “Dally.” I shake it. “Kira.” He gestures for me to follow him inside, and he whispers something to the man at the front. The man nods, and Dally leads me up a flight of stairs, past people drinking. He leads me to a small room, with just a bed and a dresser. “You can stay here. I’m next door. Stay out of my way, I’ll stay out of yours.” He tells me, then leaves. Polite.

It’s almost noon. My stomach is rumbling. I haven’t eaten anything since last night. I cautiously walk over to the room Dally went into, and knock on the door. “Whaddaya want?” He asks, swinging open the door. “Where can I get something to eat?” I ask him. He rolls his eyes. “I’ll walk you to the Dingo.” He says. “Just give me directions, I can go on my own.” I tell him. “It ain’t safe. Let me explain something about Tulsa. There are two classes, the socs and the greasers. The Socs are the rich kids. We’re greasers. Socs jump greasers, and you look like easy prey.” He explains. “I can handle myself.” I say, and he chuckles. 

“I’m coming with you, end of story.” He says. He walks in and pulls on a shirt, and I follow him downstairs. I walk next to him, and neither of us talk. “So, what’s the deal with your mom?” He asks. He is not good at small talk. “She got arrested for helping cover up a murder.” I say honestly. His eyes widen. “Impressive.” He jokes. I smile a bit. 

We get to the Dingo, and go inside. I order some fries and a milkshake, and Dally orders a soda. We’re waiting for our food to come when some girl comes over and starts picking a fight. “See you’re moving on fast, Dallas.” She says, chewing gum. “This is my cousin.” He explains. “Sure she is.” She sneers. “Look, go off and chew your gum elsewhere, will ya, barbie?” I tell her. Dally snickers a little. She frowns and storms off. “Ex-girlfriend?” I ask. He nods. “So, what’s the deal with you? What do you do in Tulsa?” I ask him. He leans back, and puts his feet on the table. “I cause trouble, mainly.” He tells me. Our food arrives, and I dig in. We talk while we eat, and we have more in common than I thought.


	4. CHAPTER 3

DALLY’S POV:

Kira and I have more in common than I thought. She’s a tough kid. She’s only two years younger than me at sixteen. I would see if she could stay with the Curtis brothers, but they have Sam staying with them, and Arlene’s been staying at Two-Bit’s for a few months, but she still stays over sometimes. 

When we’re done with our food, I decide to bring her over to the Curtis's and introduce her to the gang. It seems like she might be staying with me for a while. “I’m gonna introduce you to some friends of mine.” I say. She says okay, and I walk her over. The gang will like her I think. She’s kind of like a tinier, female version of me. 

When we get there, I walk her inside the house and everyone greets me. “That your new girlfriend?” Steve asks, elbowing Soda. “Ew, no.” Kira says. I turn to her. “Ew?” She smirks a bit. “No, I’m his cousin, Kira.” She tells them, and Two-Bit gets up from his place on the couch, grabbing her hand and kissing it. “I’m Two-Bit.” He says, smiling. 

I find myself getting defensive over Kira for some reason. “Back off, Two-bitch.” I growl at him. He smirks and goes back to the couch. I start to introduce her to the gang. I point to Johnny. “The small one is Johnny. The gymnast girl is Arlene, his girlfriend.” I say. I point at Pony and Sam next. “That’s sunset lover one and sunset lover two, Pony and his girlfriend Sam.” I tell her. I point at Darry, “That’s Darry, he’s basically the dad of the gang.” Darry frowns. “Don’t call me that.” He says. “Case in point. Moving on, that’s Soda and Steve, tweedle dee and tweedle dummy. And you’ve already met Two-Bit.” I finished.

Kira waves at all of them. “Want a beer?” Two asks. She looks about to say yes, but I interrupt her. “Nope. She’ll have a pepsi.” I say. “Since when do I need you to answer for me?” She whispers to me. “You're too young to be drinking.” I tell her. “You’re only two years older than me!” She says loudly. I just roll my eyes at her. Two hands her a Pepsi, and she sits on the floor, where everyone is watching Mickey Mouse. I walk over to the kitchen, and Darry follows me in. I grab a beer. “So, why do you suddenly have a cousin staying with you?” he asks.

“The state. Mom got arrested, I’m the closest relative, placed her with me.” I say. Darry raises an eyebrow. “Do you know anything about how to take care of a kid?” He questions. “Nothing, but I’ll learn along the way. I watched you parent 9 idiots, I think I can handle one kid.” I say, taking a sip of the beer I grabbed from the fridge. “You better not get her involved in anything.” Darry says. I sigh. “I can be responsible sometimes. It’s rare, but it happens.” I joke. “Do you know what it means to have her staying with you?” Darry asks me. “You can’t get arrested, you can’t disappear. You have to watch over her.” He explains. It starts to sink in. I’m gonna be responsible for a kid. A sixteen year old kid, but a kid nonetheless.

I see Kira sitting with the gang in the living room, laughing with them. I didn’t know I had any surviving family. Now that I do, I’m gonna protect it with all I’ve got. “I’m gonna keep her safe, Darry. I won’t let her get hurt.” I assure him. He nods, and heads back to the living room. I follow him out, and force Steve off the couch. 

“You didn’t tell me you’re some sort of feared greaser!” Kira tells me, laughing. “Shouldn’t it be obvious?” I say. She rolls her eyes at me, something very few would dare to try. She’s definitely a Winston, through and through.


	5. CHAPTER 4

KIRA’S POV:

The gang is super nice. Everyone just automatically made me part of the group. I’m glad Dally introduced me to them. He seems all tough, but I think he’s actually a giant softy deep, deep,  _ deep  _ down. We decide to stay for dinner, and I eat with the gang. The boys eat so much so fast, they must be part vacuum cleaner. Arlene, Sam and I all eat like normal people, shooting each other glances of disgust at the boy’s eating habits.

When it’s almost ten, I decide to head home. Dally says he’ll come with me. We’re walking back when a mustang pulls up. A bunch of rich looking kids pop out. I figure they must be socs. They whistle at me and start catcalling. Dally starts to head toward the car, ready to start a fight. I hold him back. “I’ve got it.” I whisper. I walk over, and lean down to the car window.

“I almost feel bad for you. You’re so ugly you only come out to look for girls at night.” I sneer at him. His face turns red. “Stupid bitch!” He yells at me, then he drives off. Dally is laughing. “That was great.” He tells me. I smile at him. “Told ya I could handle myself.”

“I was thinking, I have some money saved up. I can get a job and rent a hotel room so I can get out of your way.” I tell him. I have a good amount of money, and a hotel might be easier for the both of us. Dally shakes his head no. “You’re staying with me at Buck’s.” I shoot him a glance. He’s really hard to read. “You didn’t want me there at first. What changed?” I ask him, genuinely curious. He was against me staying this morning, but now he wants me to stay with him. It’s odd.

“Look, I don’t have any family but the gang. I didn’t think I had any family left at all, then you showed up. I’m not losing my family again.” he says. “Tell anyone I said any of that, and I will kill you.” He says, back to his old self. “Got it, Dal.” I say, and he puts an arm around my shoulder. It’s nice to feel wanted.

DARRY’S POV:

I don’t know what happened to Dally. Kira showed up, and he became… more like an adult. He seems to actually care about her. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this side of Dally before. He lets his guard down a bit around her. You can tell they’re related. They both have the blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. Plus, only someone related to Dally would talk to him like Kira does. Anyone else talked like that, they would get a nice punch to the face.

Dally is already really protective over the gang, especially Sam and Arlene. I don’t even want to think about how protective he’ll be over Kira. I’d be surprised if he ever lets her go out with anyone. The only person who would ask her out would be someone brave. No one else would risk the might of Dallas Winston. 

I hope he takes good care of her. I hope he knows I would be willing to help him. I’ve been watching over the gang for years. But I swear, if he gets a nice girl like Kira involved in one of his schemes, I will make sure he never gets to cause trouble again. 


	6. CHAPTER 5

SAM’S POV:

I’m hanging out at the lot with Pony. It’s a nice summer day, and the weather is perfect. We’re just sitting in the lot, enjoying the day. “So, what's the deal with Dal’s cousin?” Pony asks me. I shrug. “I don’t know. Kira seems nice though.” Pony nods in agreement. “I didn’t think Dally would actually let her stay with him,” Pony muses. 

I have to agree with him. Dally’s not always the nicest guy. It wouldn’t surprise me if he forced her to stay somewhere else. “I think Dally actually cares about her. I’ve never heard him talk about his family before.” I say. Pony looks at me. “He rarely ever talks about it. We don’t even know much about it.” He admits. I lean into him, and he holds me.

“I feel bad for him sometimes. He seems lonely.” I confide. Pony smiles at me. “He may seem lonely, but he’s got the gang. He might not say it, but I think we’re family for him.” Pony says. I lay my head in his lap, and look up at him. The sun is shining on his face, and he looks peaceful. He loves summer, I’ve found.

“Pony, whatta ya say we go get a milkshake at the Dingo?” I ask him. “Sure, why not.” He says. He helps me up, but doesn’t let go of my hand. We walk to the Dingo, holding hands all the way. We chat and laugh as we walk, the journey there seeming short. When we arrive, I order a strawberry milkshake and Pony orders a chocolate one. 

“Can I show you something?” Pony asks, and I nod. He’s blushing. “What is it?” I say. He reaches his hand into his pocket and pulls out a folded piece of paper. He hands it to me, and I unfold it. It’s a beautiful drawing of me. I gasp, and give Pony a kiss. “It’s beautiful!” I say.

“I was watching you when we were talking. I wanted to capture your smile.” he tells me. I blush. Pony can get pretty romantic. “I love it.” I tell him. Our milkshakes arrive, and we begin to drink them. The cold is refreshing, cooling me down from the summer heat. “Pony, you are the sweetest.” I tell him. “Aw, it was nothing.” He says, looking at his feet.

“I am the luckiest girl.” I say, grabbing his hand. “And I am the luckiest guy.” he responds. We’re sitting there when Two-Bit comes in. He sees us and walks over. “Hello, friends of mine!” he says, sitting down next to Pony. “Hi, Two.” I sigh. “What’s this?” he asks, grabbing the drawing. I try to pull it away, but he’s too fast. He unfolds it and looks at it. “Aw, that’s cute.” He says, mocking us. “You’re just jealous you don’t have a girlfriend.” Pony chuckles. 

Two-Bit frowns dramatically. “You wound me, Pony.” He jokes. “So, whatcha doing here Two, besides ruining our date?” I ask him. “I was bored. Decided to come here.” he says. Something seems wrong with that. When Two gets bored, he gets drunk and goes out to cause trouble. He doesn’t come to the Dingo to hang out with Pony and I. Pony seems to think the same thing, and says “You get drunk when you're bored. Why are you really here?” Two sighs dramatically, and slouches a bit.

“I’m not supposed to tell you, but Darry wanted me to keep an eye on you guys to make sure you don’t do anything.” He admits. Pony looks mad. “We don’t need babysitting. We’re fifteen.” I say, annoyed. “He’s worried that you guys are going to do the deed.” Two says, elbowing Pony. Now both of us are blushing. “Two, I swear, if you don’t drop the subject now, I will punch you.” I say. Two just shrugs. He has no filter, but that’s part of what makes him Two-Bit. “We’re not doing anything like that.” Pony assures him. We only kiss and hold hands. Occasionally we make out, but never go farther than that. 

“Hey, I didn’t say I was worried about it.” Two says, taking a sip of Pony’s milkshake. “You know, I could have just ordered you a milkshake.” Pony says. Two just takes a loud slurp. Pony and I just look at each other. “You are great at ruining dates.” I tell him. He grins. “I’ve had practice.” He says.


	7. CHAPTER 6

KIRA’S POV:

I’ve been with Dally for a week now. I’ve gotten to know the gang really well, and I like talking to all of them. They showed me around, showing me where the Dingo, the Lot, the DX, and the Nightly Double are. They’re all super nice. I’ve been lucky so far with the socs. I haven’t had any major run-ins with them. I think it’s because they’ve seen me with Dally. He really is some sort of feared tough guy in Tulsa.

It’s hot out, and I want a cold soda. I’m heading to the DX right now. Soda and Steve will probably be working. Dally’s finally letting me walk on my own. He saw that I could handle myself. I finally get to the DX, and don’t see anyone at the register. I go around, and see Soda and Steve working on a car. There are a bunch of girls watching them work.

I join the crowd, and Soda must see me because he comes over. “Kira! Whatcha doing here?” he asks me. “I came for a soda, but no one was inside.” I tell him. “I’ll come ring you up.” He says, smiling. I follow him inside, and grab a pepsi, the can cool against my hand. “What’s the deal with all the girls?” I ask him. “They come to watch me work. I don’t know why.” He replies. I look at him. How could he not know why? He looks like a movie star, no joke. He’s really handsome.

“It’s because you're cute,” I tell him. He looks up at me. “You think I’m cute?” he says, smirking. I roll my eyes. I push some cash across the counter, and he hands me back some change. It’s way too much change. “Soda, you gave me about an extra dollar in change.” I tell him. He blushes a bit. “Sorry, I’m not too good with money.” He says. “Maybe I can help?” I ask him. I’m not great with math, but I can work a register. “Yeah, actually, that would be great. I can talk to my boss. We were actually thinking about hiring more help.” He tells me. 

“Perfect! Plus, I can hang out with you during the day.” I say, and he laughs a bit. We walk back out, and he goes back to helping Steve with the car. Both of them are covered in grease and sweat, the hot weather getting to them. I can hear the girls in the crowd mooning over Soda. It’s kind of annoying, honestly. I’ve never been one for girl talk.

I see Soda slide under the car. His hand pops out, reaching for something, but he can’t reach it. I walk over, and bend down. “Whatcha need?” I ask him. “Can you hand me the ¾ wrench?” he says. I grab it. I’ve had some experience with auto mechanics. I took a semester class in school. Soda grabs it, and goes back to working on the car. He pushes it back out. “Can I get a drill?” He asks. I hand it to him. We go on like this for a while, me handing him tools as he works. He’s under the car for a while. When he finally emerges, it’s almost dinner time. 

“Okay, I think that’s it for tonight.” Steve says. I help Soda up. He smiles at me. He’s really cute. “You gonna let go of his hand?” Steve asks. I look down, and I’m still holding Soda’s hand. “Oops, sorry,” I say, blushing. Soda blushes a bit too. “It’s fine, don’t worry about it.” He says. “Ready to head home?” Steve asks us. We nod, and begin the walk back to the Curtis house.

SODA’S POV:

Kira was super helpful today. She’s also super beautiful. I was watching her that first night the whole time she was there. She’s really cool. When she was holding my hand, I felt sparks. It was a nice feeling. I haven’t felt that since Sandy. The thing is, if I ever asked Kira out, Dally would probably skin me alive. But she’s worth the risk. Maybe I’ll ask her out sometime soon.


	8. CHAPTER 7

KIRA’S POV:

Soda talked to his boss, and I got the job. I told Dally, and he smiled. I think he’s proud of me, but he won’t say it. I’m heading over to the Curtis house right now. I’m in my own mind when I hear a car come up behind me. I turn to look at it. It stops, and five socs jump out. Great. “Leave me alone, alright? I don’t want any trouble.” I tell them. The lead soc speaks up. “Dallas ain’t here to protect you no more. We’re gonna have some fun.” I start to run, but they catch up to me and pull me to the ground, holding me down.

“Soda! Dally!” I yell, but they put a hand over my mouth. I bite the hand, but it stays there, and the blood is coppery in my mouth. I feel someone punch the side of my face, and I see stars. Someone kicks my ribs, and I hear something crack. I can only hope my ribs aren’t broken. They keep kicking and punching, my head spinning. Suddenly the weight lifts off me, and I hear screaming. I open my eyes, and see Soda kneeling down next to me. “You’re safe, I’ve got you.” He says, and he picks me up. I wince, my ribs hurting. He starts to run back to the house, Dally coming behind him.

I feel myself lowered onto the couch. I hear Darry telling Soda to get the first aid kit. I open my eyes, and Dally is next to me, real concern in his eyes. Darry comes over, and he cleans the cuts on my face. The alcohol stings. He puts some bandages on my face. The blurriness is starting to clear, I try to sit up, but give a yelp. Dally helps me sit all the way up. “She probably bruised some ribs.” Darry says. 

“What happened?” Soda asks, sitting next to me. He looks really worried. “Just some socs. I’m fine.” I reassure him. “Tell me who it was. I’m gonna teach them a lesson.” Dally growls. “I didn’t get a good look. It’s fine.” I tell him. I lean back on the couch, suddenly exhausted. Soda gets up, but comes back with a cup of water. I thank him, and take a sip. It helps wash away the taste of blood.

Everybody is still staring at me. “Guys, I’m okay. Stop freaking out.” I tell them. They look away, but I can see them glancing at me out of the corner of their eyes. I click on the TV, and an old western movie starts to play. Soda sits on one side of me, and Dally sits on the other. We watch the movie together in silence.

When the movie is over, Dally walks me home. I get to Bucks, and go straight to my room. I don’t even want dinner, I’m so tired. I lay down and fall fast asleep.

DALLY’S POV:

I should have been walking with her. She doesn’t even have a switchblade. I check in on her, and she’s fast asleep. I walk downstairs, and tell Buck I’m heading out. I walk to a little store. I walk through, looking at the different blades. I see a nice blade with a blue handle. It’s perfect for her. I put it in my pocket, making sure no one sees me do it. I grab a pack of cancer sticks and walk to the front, buying them. I pay and leave, walking back to Buck’s. 

I go to check on Kira. She’s still asleep, on top of her sheets. I scootch her over, pull the sheets back, and place her back down. I tuck her in, and she turns over. She looks so peaceful. She hasn’t seen what I have. I hope I can keep her this innocent. 


	9. CHAPTER 8

KIRA’S POV:

I wake up to the sound of the bar below. It gets busy early. I stretch and blink the sleep away from my eyes. I get up and grab a change of clothes. I change into a white crop top with blue shorts, a comfy outfit. I go to the bathroom and brush my teeth and hair. My face has a few bruises, but it’s not too bad. I put on some lipstick like usual and a little concealer to cover the bruises, but don’t do any more makeup than that.

I walk down the hall to Dally’s room to see if he’s awake. His door is open, and I peak in. He’s sitting on his bed, looking at something. I knock and walk in. “Mornin’, Dal.” I say, smiling. “How ya feeling?” He asks me. I just shrug. I ache a bit but it’s not terrible. “I got you something. It’s nothing big, but clearly you need it.” He tells me. 

He pulls out a switchblade with a blue handle. It’s beautiful. He hands it to me, and I hold it in my hands. “Thanks Dal!” I say, hugging him. He tenses up, but he hugs back. I release him, and put the blade in my pocket. “I’m gonna head to the Curtis’s for breakfast.” I say. “Not alone, you're not.” He tells me. I roll my eyes, but I don’t argue. I could use the company.

We walk to the house, and come inside without knocking. The house is already chaotic. Two-Bit is sitting in front of the TV watching Mickey Mouse, Steve and Soda are arm wrestling, Pony and Johnny are eating eggs, Sam is trying to clean eggs off the couch, and Darry is trying to get everyone under control. “Good morning, everyone.” I say in a sing-song voice. Pony waves at me, and everyone else just mumbles their greetings. 

I go to the kitchen and grab some eggs and bacon. Most of it is gone, but there’s enough for Dallas and me. I make myself a plate and sit down in the living room. Soda comes over to me, rubbing his wrist. I assume he must have lost, since Steve is mocking him. “Hey, how ya doing?” He asks me, a concerned look on his face. 

“I’m okay. It’s not the first time I’ve been in a fight.” I remind him. He smiles at me, and I smile back. Steve tries to change the TV channel, but Two whines and Steve turns back to Mickey Mouse. “So what are we gonna do today?” I ask the gang. “Something illegal.” Two-Bit suggests. Darry shoots him a glare, and he says “Something not illegal.” 

“We could go and play some football at the lot.” Sam suggests, and everyone agrees. I suck at football, but it will be fun to play with the gang. When everyone is ready, we head over to the lot. We divide into teams. I’m on a team with Soda, Dally, Johnny, and Steve. The other team is Two-Bit, Pony, Sam, and Darry. We start to play. 

Darry is an amazing player, and he scores multiple touchdowns. I, on the other hand, am terrible at this game and miss almost every throw. We’re about to try and make another touchdown. Dally illustrates a strategy, one that ends with me catching the ball in the end zone. “I don’t know…” I say. “You’ll be fine.” Steve says, and that seems to settle it. 

I get in my position in the end zone, and wait for the throw. Dally dodges, throwing to Steve, who throws it to Johnny, who throws it to Soda, and then he throws it to me. I jump, my hands meeting the ball. I grab it, pulling it down with me. I caught it! We scored! Soda comes running over, and he lifts me up in a hug and spins me in a circle. We both laugh, and he lets me down. I blush, and so does he. The rest of the gang runs over to us. “Nice job!” Pony congratulates me. Soda is still smiling at me, and I smile back. He’s really cute with his hair a mess and a big smile on his face. Oh no. I think I have a crush on Sodapop Curtis.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed the book. If you have any feedback, I would love to hear it. I know these are kind of sucky, but I wrote them a year or so back. Check out the rest of the series if you want to keep following Sam and the gang!


	10. CHAPTER 9

SODA’S POV:

It’s been a week since the game where I hugged Kira. I can’t get her off my mind. She’s so beautiful. When she comes for work at the DX, I take breaks as often as I can to go and talk to her. We have a lot in common. We both like cars, we both don’t do super well in school, and we both hate fighting. I’ve been trying to get the courage to ask her out. I’m going to do it today.

I’m just getting off my shift at the DX, and it’s late. I offer to walk her back to Buck’s, even though it’s in the opposite direction of my house. We’re walking together and chatting. I want so badly to kiss her. Every part of me aches to be with her. “Why are you staring at me like that?” Kira chuckles. I blush. “No reason.” I say. 

“Soda, I was wondering. Do you want to go with me to the Dingo on Friday?” Kira blurts out. My eyes go wide. “Like, on a date?” I ask. She nods. “You don’t have to, I shouldn’t have asked-” She says, but I interrupt her by saying “Yes, I would love that.” My smile filling up my whole face. She smiles too, and she grabs my hand.

We walk the rest of the way home in silence, happy to be in each other's company. When we get to Buck’s, I walk her to the door. “I’ll see you on Friday.” I say, and she nods. She walks inside, and I watch her go. I can’t wait for our date.

KIRA’S POV:

I can’t believe I asked Soda out on a date. The girl doesn’t usually ask the guy out, but I like to do things differently. I walk into the bar, and the music is loud. People are dancing, and they are very, very drunk. I’m making my way to the stairs when a guy grabs my arm, pulling me towards him. I can smell the alcohol on his breath. “Hey, why don’t ya dance with me?” he slurs.

“No thanks.” I tell him, trying to pull my arm away, but he just holds tighter. “Feisty. I like that.” He says. He starts to pull me towards him when a fist punches him in the face. He falls to the ground groaning. It’s Dally, and he’s pulling me away from the guy. “Keep your hands off of her, asshole.” He says. He leads me to the stairs. “Stupid kid.” He hisses under his breath, shooting a glare at the guy. “Thanks.” I tell him. “No problem.” He says.

I get upstairs, and say goodnight to Dally. I head to my room, and change for bed. I take off my makeup and brush my teeth. I climb into bed, and close my eyes. I can’t sleep. All I can think about is my date with Soda on Friday.

PONY’S POV:

Soda is laying in bed next to me. He’s grinning like a mad man. “Why are you smiling like that?” I whisper to him. He turns to me. “I’ve got a date on Friday.” He tells me. “With who?” I ask, curious. “With Kira.” he says, his eyes getting all dreamy. My eyes go wide. “You can’t go out with her!” I tell him. He glares at me.

“Why not?” he asks. “Because! Dally will kill you!” I hiss at him. He frowns a bit, thinking, but smiles again. “Kira’s worth it.” He sighs. Oh boy. Soda has a crush on Kira, a big one. This is not going to end well. I can only hope Dally doesn’t find out.


	11. CHAPTER 10

KIRA’S POV:

Today is the day. I’m going on my date with Soda. I’m so excited. Sam and Arlene are helping me get ready at Two-Bit’s, where Arlene is staying. I put on a floral summer dress with short sleeves. It ends just above my knees. Arlene does my makeup, putting on some mascara, lipstick, and blush. Sam is curling my blonde hair. I can feel heat from the curling iron on my neck.

When they both finish, I stand up and look at myself in the mirror. I look… good. “Thanks, you guys.” I say, turning to Arlene and Sam. “No problem.” Sam says, shrugging. We hear a knock on the front door, and I run to open it. I swing it open, and Soda is standing there, wearing a pair of jeans and his red flannel. “Hey.” I said, smiling. He smiles at me, and runs his hand through his hair. “You look really nice.” He says, and I blush. 

I wave goodbye to Sam and Arlene, and Soda walks me to the car. It’s Steve’s. He must have borrowed it for the night. I climb into the passenger seat, and he starts to drive. He has one hand on the steering wheel, the other fiddling with the radio. He turns on some Elvis, and I hum along. “You like Elvis?” he asks me. “Yeah, he’s my favorite.” I say. “Mine too!” He tells me, his smile growing. We chat about this and that on the ride over, a comfortable conversation.

When we get to the Dingo, we grab a table and order. We’re waiting for our food to come, talking about anything and everything. I notice Soda staring at me. “What?” I chuckle. He looks away, then looks me in my eyes. “You look really, really beautiful tonight.” He says quietly. “And you look really, really handsome.” I respond. He smiles at me, his ears turning red. “Kira, I like you, a lot. Do you want to be my girl?” He asks me. “Soda, I would love to be your girl!” I say, grabbing his hand. I can’t believe he asked on the first date, but I’m not complaining. Our food arrives, and we eat. 

When we’re done and Soda pays the check, we walk out, hand in hand. He walks me back to Buck’s. Before I walk inside, he turns to me, our eyes connected. I feel my breath quicken, and I can feel his heart beat in his chest. “Can I kiss you?” He whispers. I don’t answer, I just push my mouth against his. I can feel fireworks, electricity running through my veins.When we pull away, we’re both out of breath. “Wow.” I whisper. He smirks at me, his eyes glowing. “I’ll see you later, Kira.” He says, starting to walk away backwards, still looking at me. He trips over a crack in the sidewalk, almost falling, but keeps his balance. I chuckle at him. He’s adorable. And he’s my boyfriend.

SODA’S POV:

I smile the whole way home. That was the best date I’ve ever been on. Kira’s the first person who has made me feel like this since Sandy. I didn’t think I would ever be able to love again after she broke my heart, but Kira put me back together. She’s amazing. I walk into the house, and everyone seems to be asleep. Darry is asleep in his chair, the newspaper on his chest. Sam is asleep on the couch, her normal sleeping spot. Everyone else must have gone home. 

I tip toe past them, trying not to wake them up. I walk into my room, expecting Pony to be asleep. He’s sitting up in bed, a book in his hand. He hears me come in, and turns to me. “So, how was it?” He asks. I can see he’s ready to fall asleep, but he must have been waiting up for me. I flop onto the bed, facing the ceiling. “It was spectacular.” I say, my smile stretching my face. “Sounds like you’re smitten.” Pony says. I just nod. “You look like me when I first met Sam.” Pony tells me. “I asked her to be my girl.” I say. Pony raises his eyebrows, a small smile on his face. “You better not tell anyone, Pony. I mean it.” I tell him. He zips his lips. 

I know he won’t tell anyone my secrets. I can tell Pony anything, and vice versa. I change for bed, and climb in next to Pony. Pony turns out the lights and lays down. I can hear his soft breath after a few minutes, sleep overtaking him. I stay up for as long as I can, thinking about my date with Kira. She’s my girl.


	12. CHAPTER 11

KIRA’S POV:

Soda and I have been dating for a month now. Soda told me Pony knows, but he’s the only one besides Arlene and Sam. I can’t risk Dally finding out. He would be pissed. I asked him once about what he thought of me dating. He told me I was not allowed to date until I turn twenty. He’s very, very overprotective. I’m lucky he even let’s the gang talk to me.

I’m going on a date with Soda tonight. We’re going to the Nightly Double. Neither of us especially like watching movies, but it’s fun to go and people watch. I put on my jean jacket, a t-shirt, and my jeans. A casual outfit, but a good looking one. I start my walk over to where I’m meeting Soda at the Nightly Double. I meet him at the fence, and he waves at me. 

He climbs through the hole first, then helps me through. He keeps hold of my hand even after I stand up. He leads me to the chairs, and we sit in the back row. “I’m going to go get us some pepsis and popcorn.” He tells me, and he runs off to get the food. I’m happy sitting there, watching people go by, when someone sits next to me. I look over, and recognize him as Tim Sheperd. Dally always told me to stay away from him. 

“Hey, baby. Whatcha doing here all alone?” He says, his eyes roaming my body. “I’m actually here with my boyfriend. Now leave, before he gets back.” I hiss at him. He just smirks. “You know, getting with a Winston girl has always been a dream of mine,” He says, his hand reaching towards me. “Leave me alone, or Dally will come and beat your hide before I do.” I tell him, moving a seat over. He follows me, moving a seat as well. “I don’t see Dally here to protect you.” He tells me, and he wraps an arm around my shoulder, pulling me into him.

“Tim, stop it.” I say, pushing his arm off of me. “Aw, come on, doll, I just want to have a little fun.” He drawls, grabbing my arm. He starts to pull me into him when I hear Soda speak. “Get your hands off my girl.” He growls. Tim puts his hands up in surrender. “Hey, I was just doing a little flirting. No harm no foul.” he says, getting up. Soda shoves him away from me. “Stay away from her, ya hear?” He hisses. Tim just rolls his eyes and walks away.

Soda sits next to me, and he places the food at our feet. “You okay?” He asks, his eyes checking me to see if I’m hurt. “I’m fine, just a little grossed out.” I tell him. He chuckles, and grabs my hand. We sit there, watching people go by, eating and drinking as we talk. The pepsi is sweet and the popcorn is salty, a welcome contrast.

A romantic scene comes on in the movie. I lean into Soda, and he puts his arms around me. I watch the scene unfold. “This guy is nowhere near as cute as you.” I whisper to Soda. He smiles at me. “And that girl is nowhere as beautiful as you.” He replies. I look at him, and I kiss him. I feel fireworks, just like the first time. He holds me close to him, our hearts beating in time.

Suddenly I feel someone force us apart. “What. The. Hell?” I hear Dally shout. Shit. “Dally, it’s not what it looks like.” Soda says. “What, you didn’t have your tongue down her throat?” He yells at him. “Dally, stop it!” I say to him, anger in my voice. He turns towards me, his eyes full of fury. “Are you and him dating?” He asks me quietly. No sense in lying now. “Yeah, and we have been for a month. Is that a problem?” I hiss at him. 

“Yes, yes it is!” He yells at me. “I’m sixteen, I can handle myself!” I respond. He forces me up. “Soda is just using you to get over Sandy! He’s just going to cheat on you!” He screams. Soda’s eyes go dark. “You should know I’m the last person to ever cheat on someone.” He says, reminding Dally of what Sandy did to him. “I love Kira, I’m not going to hurt her.” Soda continues, his voice calm.

“Bullshit! You two are done. I don’t want to see you near her again, or I’m going to kill you, ya hear?” He shouts, dragging me up. “Dal, let go of me!” I tell him, trying to get away, but he just slings me over his shoulder. Soda starts to follow, but I shake my head at him. If he tries to follow us, he’ll just get hurt. I can’t risk that.


	13. CHAPTER 12

DALLY’S POV:

I can feel the anger in my blood. I can’t believe she would go behind my back and date Soda. He’s not good enough for her. He’ll dump her just like he dumped the rest of the girlfriends he had after Sandy. He’s not over her, and he just dates other people to try and numb the pain. He’s going to hurt her and I can’t let that happen. He’s broken too many hearts. I won’t let him break Kira’s. She’s still slung over my shoulder. She stopped trying to fight me a while ago.

I’m much stronger than she is, she knows she can’t get away from me. I get to Buck’s and walk her up the stairs, still over my shoulder. No one even gives us a second glance, they’re all too drunk to see straight. I take her to her room and place her down on the bed. She sits up and glares at me, her eyes cold. “What is wrong with you?” She yells at me. 

“Let me explain.” I tell her. She just crosses her arms. I sit down next to her, and she scoots away from me. She shoots me a look of pure hatred, and it hurts my heart a bit. Man, when did I become so soft? “You know about Sandy, right?” I ask her. She must have. She goes to school with her. She nods, not saying anything. At least she’s listening to me, even if she doesn’t speak.

“He’s been with a bunch of girls since they broke up. He just uses them to try and get over Sandy, but he just breaks up with them after a few weeks. He’s just going to break up with you and break your heart.” I tell her. Her glare softens a bit. “No, he really does love me. I can tell, Dal.” she says. She uncrosses her arms. “He’s the nicest guy I’ve ever met. I feel something. He won’t do that to me.” She continues, her eyes looking sad.

“Look, I just don’t want you getting hurt.” I say. I feel guilty now, but I still know I’m right about Soda. He’s a good kid, just heartbroken. “He won’t hurt me. You have to trust me.” She whispers. I look at her. Then it hits me. I have to let her make her own mistakes. I can’t protect her from everything. “Fine. You two can go steady. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.” I say. She smiles big, and she hugs me. I hug her back. Jeez, ever since she got here I really  _ have _ gone soft. I better not let anyone else know.

“And, if you ever go farther than kissing, I will ground you forever.” I tell her. I mean it. She better not do anything else or I will kill Soda. Kira just smirks at me. “How do you know we didn’t already do it?” She asks. My eyes go wide. “What? No. No, just no. I’m going to kill him!” I growl. “You are way too young for that! What if you got pregnant?” Kira just laughs at me. “I was joking Dal, calm down.” She laughs. I release the breath from my chest. “Thank goodness.” I say. “You are way too overprotective!” She chuckles.

“I have to be! You’re a girl, guys will try to take advantage of you!” I tell her. She rolls her eyes. “I can protect myself.” She says. “Yeah, you're a Winston, of course you can. But that doesn’t mean I’m not going to watch over ya.” I say, and she smiles. “Fine, I can live with that. I’m going to go call Soda and tell him we got things figured out.” She says, and she runs out of the room to go to the phone at the end of the hall. Oh boy. I am going to have to keep a close eye on her and Soda.

SODA’S POV:

I’ve been sitting in my room for at least an hour. Pony didn’t ask what happened, he just let me be alone. I have tears in my eyes, but I hold them back. I love Kira, and Dally is going to force us apart. The door opens, and Pony comes in. “Kira’s on the phone for you.” He says. I jump up and run to the phone, sliding on the floor in my socks.

I run over and pick up the phone. “Kira?” I ask, out of breath. “Soda, is that you?” she asks. “Yeah, it’s me. What happened? Are you okay?” I question. She laughs a bit. “Soda, I’m fine. I talked with Dally and he agreed to let us date.” She says, and a smile erupts on my face. “He did?” I ask, surprised. “Yeah. He still thinks you’re gonna break my heart, but I know better.” Kira says. “I love you, Kira Winston.” I say over the phone. I can almost see her smile on the other end of the line. “I love you too, Sodapop Curtis.”


	14. CHAPTER 13

SAM’S POV:

I’m sitting on the roof with Pony. We do this sometimes. We just sit on the roof and watch the sunset. I fidget with the necklace he gave me, warm from my fingers. My other hand is in Pony’s. “So, what do you think about the whole Soda and Kira thing?” I ask him. He turns to me, his eyes wide in surprise. “You know?” He says. “Of course I know. We helped her get ready for her first date with him.” I tell him, laughing.

“Well, don’t tell anyone I told you this, but I heard Soda on the phone with Kira and he said he loved her. I don’t think he realized anyone else could hear him. He’s lucky everyone else was out of earshot.” He says, smirking. “Soda better not break her heart, or I’ll get to him before Dally does.” I tell him, smiling.

“I don’t think he would hurt her.” Pony says. I agree. Soda seems different since he met Kira. He seems happier. He was hurt by Sandy for a long time. I don’t think he would purposely inflict that pain on anyone else. He’s too good of a guy. I lean my head on Pony’s shoulder. He kisses the top of my head.

“I’m lucky I got one of the Curtis brothers.” I tell him. “Yeah, you got the handsomest one.” He jokes, and I chuckle. “Yes, I did.” I say, giving him a quick kiss. He really is perfect. It might seem crazy to think that you can fall in love at fifteen, but I did. He and I click. We work together. He’s the perfect guy for me, and I’m the perfect girl for him.

The sunset is beautiful. The purples and pinks, the reds and oranges, thrown across the sky like paint on a canvas. It’s one of my favorite things in the world. It reminds me of how beautiful the world can be. The favorite part of my week is when I sit up here with Pony and watch the sky. It’s peaceful. I love it up here.

“Hey, love birds, we’re gonna watch a movie. Wanna watch with us?” Two-Bit says, sticking his head out the attic window. I look at Pony and he shrugs. “Sure, why not.” He says. He helps me through the window and we climb down from the attic, going to sit next to each other on the couch. Johnny and Arlene squish onto the couch next to us. Everyone else is on the floor in a chair. We click on the TV, and the movie starts to play. I watch for a while, but start getting drowsy. I lay my head on Pony’s shoulder, my eyes closing. I fall asleep.

**Dream starts**

I’m in the alley again. Bob is here. How did he get here? He has the knife against my neck again. His hands start roaming my body, his intentions clear. I wait for someone to save me, but no one comes. I’m alone with him. He’ll do whatever he wants then kill me. His hands start to wander down, farther and farther. I’m powerless to stop him. He starts to unzip my jeans.

**Dream ends**

My eyes open, my breath coming fast and hard. I’m covered in sweat, and I have tears on my cheeks. It was just a nightmare. The living room is dark. Everyone must have gone to bed. Someone stirs, and I look over. It’s Pony. They must have left him on the couch with me. “Sam, you okay?” he whispers. I try to get my breath under control. “Yeah, just a nightmare.” I tell him. “What was it about?” He asks, drawing me into his arms. “I was with Bob, but no one came. I was alone with him. He was going to…” I don’t finish. Pony can understand. He hugs me tighter.   
“Bob is gone. It was just a nightmare. I will never let anyone hurt you.” He says. I nuzzle in closer to him, his breath calming me. He strokes my hair until I start to fall asleep again. “I love you.” I whisper to him. “I love you too.” He tells me. Then I let my eyes close again and sleep overtakes me. I don’t have another nightmare. I dream of Pony instead.


	15. CHAPTER 14

KIRA’S POV:

I’ve been dating Soda for almost two months now. We finally told the gang, and they haven’t let us hear the end of it. I’m going on a date with him right now at the Dingo. We’re sitting and sipping our milkshakes. He’s talking about a car he can’t seem to fix, and I’m trying to give him a solution. We do this sometimes. We talk about problems and work together to solve them. It’s nice. I’m thinking over an idea when I hear the door open. I look over. A guy walks in and takes a seat, immediately putting the menu in front of his face. I can still see his blonde hair. Soda notices him too. “Is that…?” He asks. I nod. 

I walk over and push the menu down. Dally stares back at me, grimacing. “Dally, what are you doing?” I ask him. “Just came to get some food.” He says. I can tell he’s lying. “Then why are you hiding behind a menu like some sort of spy?” I ask him. He just frowns at me. “Fine, I came to keep an eye on you two. You happy?” he says. I roll my eyes. “Leave, Dal.” I tell him, pointing to the door. He grumbles and gets up. “I’m watching you, Curtis!” he yells at Soda. Soda just waves at him. People are watching now.

I slide into the booth again. Soda is chuckling. “He wasn’t kidding when he said he’d keep an eye on us.” Soda laughs. “I don’t know what to do with him.” I sigh, taking a sip of my milkshake. “Um… Kira?” Soda says, glancing towards the window. I look over and Dally is standing there, watching us through the window. “Go away! Shoo!” I yell at him through the window. He doesn’t move. I pull my fist back and punch it towards his face, stopping just before I hit the glass. He grimaces, and I shoot him a glare. He seems to get the message and walks away. “Sorry about that.” I tell Soda.

“Eh, don’t worry about it. He’s just trying to look out for ya.” He says. I’m glad he gets it. Any other guy would hightail it out of here. “You’re brave to risk the wrath of Dallas Winston.” I joke. Soda smirks at me. “You’re worth the risk,” he says. I lean in to kiss him. He smiles into the kiss. I love this boy.

“What do you say we get out of here?” He asks. I nod, and he leaves money for the check. We walk out, and start to head back to Soda’s house. We chat the whole way. We never seem to run out of things to talk about. We walk into the house and see Pony sitting on the couch with Sam’s head in his lap. “Hello, you two.” I say. They wave. They’re both reading books. They seem so happy together. They really are a great couple.

“Want something to drink?” Soda asks me. “Yes,” Pony replies. “I’m good, but thanks.” I tell him. He goes to the kitchen to get Pony’s drink. He gets back and hands it to Pony. We sit on the floor together. “How was the date?” Sam asks. “Good. Except for the fact that Dally was spying on us the whole time.” I tell her. She snickers a bit. “I knew he wouldn’t be able to let you guys be alone.” She says. “You owe me five bucks.” She tells Pony. He reaches into his pocket and hands her a five dollar bill. “You bet on that?” Soda says loudly. “Yup.” Pony says, popping the p. They go back to reading their books.

“You two are unbearable.” I say, crossing my arms, smiling. I love these kids to death, but they can be so annoying sometimes. They just smirk at us. “Pony, you have to read this when I’m done.” Sam says. “We’ll trade books.” Pony tells her. “How can you two possibly enjoy reading?” Soda asks. I agree. I can’t read a book to save my life.

“It’s fun.” Pony states. Sam voices her agreement. These two. “You two nerds are perfect for each other.” Soda jokes. “And you two dorks are perfect for ea chother.” Sam retorts, and Pony high fives her. “Yes we are.” I say, kissing Soda. We are perfect for each other.


	16. CHAPTER 15

SODA’S POV:

I’m waiting in front of the Dingo for Kira. We’re going out for dinner. I’m so excited. I’m checking out my reflection in the window, seeing if I look good enough. Someone taps me on the shoulder, and I whirl around, expecting Kira. But who I see takes my breath away. “Hi Soda.” She says. “Sandy.” I choke out. She smiles at me. “I saw you, and I wanted to apologize to you.” She tells me. “What?” I say.

“I’m really sorry about what I did. You deserve better. I’ve been meaning to apologize for a long time, but I haven’t had the courage to see you.” She says. I don’t know what to say. “Thanks.” I tell her. “I was hoping we could talk again, maybe see if the old flame is still there.” She suggests. My eyes narrow. She’s not apologizing because she cares, but because she wants to get back together. 

“You broke my heart, Sandy. Plus I moved on. I have a girlfriend now.” I tell her. I go to walk away, but she grabs my arm. “One kiss? Then I promise I’ll leave you alone.” She whispers. I rip my arm from her grip. “Nope. Leave me alone, Sandy.” I tell her. She glares at me. “You said you loved me once. Why not see if we can rekindle something?”She asks. I look into her eyes. My heart melts a bit. I loved her. I wanted to marry her. “I was wrong to leave you Soda. I still love you.” She says. Before I know what I’m doing, my lips are on hers.As soon as I do it, I regret it. What was I thinking? I pull away, shame on my face. 

“Soda? What…” I hear a voice say. I see Kira standing there, tears in her eyes. Sandy turns to face her. Kira recognizes Sandy, and her eyes go wide. “Dally was right.” She whispers. She starts to run away. “Kira! Wait!” I yell after her, but she just keeps on running. I’m about to chase after her when Sandy grabs my shoulder. “I knew you still loved me.” She says, smiling. I shrug her off. “No. I don’t. I just made a mistake, a big one.” I tell her. I start to walk to Buck’s. I need to talk to Kira.

DALLY’S POV:

I’m having a beer at Buck’s when Kira comes storming in. She runs up the stairs, her hands covering her face. She sounds like she's crying. I run up the stairs after her. I walk into her room and see her crying on the bed. I’m not good with this type of thing, but I need to check up on her. I sit down next to her. She looks at me. “What happened?” I ask her. She starts to cry harder. “I was going to meet Soda for a date. I saw him kissing Sandy.” She sobs.

I feel anger race through me. I’m going to kill him. He played with her heart, used her, then dumped her for Sandy. I hug Kira, and she cries into my shoulder. “It’s going to be fine, babydoll. It’s going to be fine.” I whisper. Eventually her tears slow, and she sits up. “Thanks for helping me out, Dal.” She says, her voice raw from crying. 

“Hey, You’re my little cousin. Of course I’ll help you out.” Kira elbows me gently. “When did you get so soft?” She jokes. “It happened when you showed up, ya little punk.” I say, messing up her hair. She chuckles. I don’t know what happened. When she showed up, I started getting soft. And I don’t mind it. I like having her around. I actually care about her. It’s a nice feeling, to love someone and have them love you back. She brushes the hair out of her face, her eyes red and puffy from crying. Soda really hurt her. Next time I see him, he’s gonna get a taste of my fist.


	17. CHAPTER 16

KIRA’S POV:

I’m sitting with Dal, and he’s helping to calm me down. It’s nice to have him here. We’re laughing about something Dally saw at the DX when someone knocks on the door. Buck peeks his head in. “You have someone here asking to see ya.” He says, leaving. I raise an eyebrow. I don’t know who it could be. The door opens a little wider. I see Soda standing there. My eyes go wide. What is he doing here?

“Get out.” Dally growls at him. I’m grateful he’s standing up for me. I can barely get a word out of my mouth. “I need to talk to Kira.” Soda says, his voice soft. He looks at me, his face full of shame. “No.” I say, turning away from him. “Please, it was an accident. I can make it up to you.” Soda says, coming closer. He goes to grab my hand, but I pull away. “She doesn’t want to see you. Leave.” Dally yells at him.

“Stay out of this, Dallas!” Soda shouts. “Let her talk!” He continues. He looks at me expectantly. “Just go, Soda. Please.” I say quietly. His eyes shine with tears, pain evident in his gaze. “Kira, I can explain-” He starts, but Dally shoves him away from me. “Get out!” He growls. “Let me talk to her!” Soda yells, his fists balled up. Then Dally punches him, and Soda goes flying into the wall. I gasp, and Soda grabs his cheek in pain. 

I can’t say anything. I’m in shock. Soda stands up, a tear falling down his face. He shoots me one last look, then turns his back and leaves. Dally’s fists are bleeding from how hard he punched Soda. He walks to the bathroom, and I hear the sink running. I just sit there, staring at the wall. I don’t even know what to think anymore.

SODA’S POV:

My face is aching. I walk home. I can feel the bruise forming. I walk into the house, and everyone turns to look at me. Darry comes over to me, concern on his face. “What happened?” He asks me. I look away from him. I can’t meet his gaze. He would be so disappointed in me if he knew what I did. “I got in a fight.” I say, going to my room. Darry stops me. “Obviously you got in a fight. Who did you get in a fight with?” He asks. “Dally.” I tell him. I stomp off to my room, the gang looking on.

No one comes after me for a few minutes, giving me time to cool off. When I get myself under control, I go back to the living room. I go to the kitchen to grab some chocolate milk. Darry stops me. “What happened?” He asks me, more sternly than before. “I don’t need to tell you anything.” I hiss at him. He frowns at me. “What did you do?” He says, his eyes staring me down. 

I try to move past him but he blocks me from leaving the kitchen. I’m angry now. “Get out of my way!” I shout at him. He doesn’t budge. “Tell me what happened first.” He says, glaring at me. “I KISSED SANDY, KIRA SAW, I WENT TO TALK TO HER, AND DALLY PUNCHED ME. YOU HAPPY NOW?” I yell at him, loud enough for the whole house to hear. I push past Darry and run to my room, locking the door behind me. I can hear them talking in the living room. I guess everyone heard me. No surprise there.

“Poor Kira.” I hear Sam say. “He probably has a good reason for kissing Sandy!” Steve defends me. I cover my ears. I can’t listen to this. I made a stupid, stupid mistake, and now the girl I truly love will never talk to me again. I fucked this all up, didn’t I?


	18. CHAPTER 17

KIRA’S POV:

It’s been a week since I caught Soda kissing Sandy. I haven’t talked to him or the rest of the gang. I have a shift at the DX today. I’m going to quit, but if I want to get this month's pay, I have to finish off the month. This will be my last shift. I put on my work uniform, say goodbye to Dally, and walk over. I’m nervous. I hope Soda doesn’t try to talk to me. I walk in. I see him already working on a car. Steve is nowhere to be seen. I walk into the store and start setting up for the day. Then Soda comes in. Shit.

“Kira, we need to talk.” He tells me. I shake my head. I can already feel tears pricking at my eyes, threatening to spill down my cheeks. “There’s nothing to talk about. You broke my heart.” I tell him. I don’t look at him again. “Kira, it was a dumb mistake. I didn’t mean for it to happen. I didn’t feel the fireworks with Sandy like I do with you. You are the first thing I think of in the morning and the last thing I think about before bed. You are the other half of me, my soulmate. I know you might not ever forgive me, but I love you, Kira Winston. ” He says. A tear escapes my eye. He brushes it away. He looks in my eyes, and I see he’s being truthful. I shouldn’t forgive him, but I can’t help myself. I love Soda, even if he hurt me.

I kiss him, and he kisses back. Something clicks back into place. I feel whole again. I pull away, and I smile weakly at him. “I promise, I will never hurt you like that again.” He says. I believe him. I trust him, against my better judgement.

SODA’S POV:

That night, after I apologized, we had dinner with the whole gang. Kira and I sat next to each other. Everyone kept shooting us confused glances. “So, you two are back together?” Two-Bit asks. “Yeah.” Kira says, smiling at me softly. Dally’s eyes go wide. “What do you mean you two are back together? He cheated on you!” Dally shouts. “I apologized to her. I made a mistake, and I don’t love Sandy. I love Kira.” I tell him. Kira squeezes my hand. 

Dally grunts. “Dal, you know Soda. He’s a good guy.” Kira says, smiling at me. Dally frowns. “If you ever hurt her again, I will kill you, ya hear?” He tells me. We all know he ain’t joking around. The bruise on my face proves it.I sigh in relief. I thought he wouldn’t be okay with us for sure. The rest of the dinner passes like normal. 

I walk with Kira outside, and we sit on the stoop. “Thank you for forgiving me.” I tell her. She turns to me. “I forgive you, but I won’t lie. You hurt me. I’m giving you another chance, but one chance is all you’ll get.” She tells me. “Got it.”I say, smiling. She leans her head on my shoulder and I put my arm around her. How did I get a girl like her? She’s perfect.

DALLY’S POV:

I’m not happy about this, I won’t lie. But I saw the way Soda looked at her during dinner. He has feelings for her. Soda is my friend, just like the rest of the gang. I care about him. Not that I would ever tell him that. I have a reputation to uphold. I just don’t want him hurting Kira again. Soda better not hurt her again if he knows what's good for him. I look around for Kira, and see the front door open a bit. I peek through, and I see her with her head on Soda’s shoulder. These two are cute together, I’ll give them that. If Kira had to date someone, I’m glad it’s Soda. He’s not perfect, but he clearly loves her. I would hate to have to punch him if he breaks her heart again.


	19. CHAPTER 18

PONY’S POV:

It’s the morning. Sam is up, and so am I. The rest of the house is still asleep. She’s curled in my arms. She sits up, and I turn to face her. She had another nightmare last night, the same one about Bob. “Good morning, beautiful.” I say to her, smiling. She gives me a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll be right back.” She whispers. She heads to the bathroom, and I hear her brush her teeth. She goes to the kitchen to start making breakfast. I head to the bathroom, brush my teeth, and grease back my hair. I meet Sam in the kitchen.

She’s mixing some pancake batter. “Sam, we need to talk about last night.” I tell her. She doesn’t make eye contact. “What do you mean? It was just a nightmare.” She says. “Sam, I had nightmares like that after my parents died. It’s not just a nightmare.” I respond. She looks at me now. “Have you had nightmares about that more than just this month?” I ask her gently. She nods. Bob almost killed her, had his way with her. Of course she has nightmares about him.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I say, grabbing her hand. “Because. I have to be tough. Like Dally says, ‘you get tough like me, and you don’t get hurt’.” She tells me. I hug her. “You don’t have to be tough around me.” I whisper to her. She kisses me, and I kiss back. Our kiss is ended by a very tired Soda. He comes wandering into the kitchen, still half asleep. “Good morning.” He mumbles. We say our good mornings and get back to making breakfast. 

We make some pancakes and fry some bacon. The gang starts to arrive. Two-Bit shows up, and he immediately turns on Mickey Mouse. Steve collapses on the couch next to Soda, Darry comes out and gets ready for work, Arlene comes in with Johnny, and Kira comes in and sits on the other side of Soda. Dally must have opted to stay at Buck’s. I help Sam put out breakfast and everyone flocks over. The food is gone within fifteen minutes.

Darry heads to work, and he warns us not to break anything. The rest of us are free to do whatever we want. School starts in a week, so we want to get all the fun we can before we have to go back. “Anyone up for making some trouble?” Two-Bit asks. “You know Soda and I can’t get in trouble or Darry will be pissed.” I remind him. We can’t risk getting in trouble with the law, or they could take us away from Darry.

“Why don’t we go for lunch at the Dingo?” Arlene suggests. Everyone seems to agree with that. We all clean up from breakfast and sit in the living room, watching Mickey Mouse. We watch for a few hours until we decide it’s time for lunch. We all begin the walk to the Dingo, roughhousing along the way. Steve tries to put Sam in a headlock, but she ends up breaking free and knocking him to the ground. People shouldn’t mess with her, that’s for sure.

When we get to the Dingo, we go into two separate booths. I sit with Sam, Johnny, Arlene, and Two-Bit. The rest of the gang sits in the booth behind us. We order food, and hang out. Two-Bit flirts with the waitress, and she brushes it off. Our food arrives, and we begin to eat. Two-Bit reaches over and tries to steal fries from Steve, but Steve grabs Two-Bit’s arms and almost drags him over the top of the booth.

The rest of the customers are clearly annoyed with us. We’re a rowdy bunch. The waitress blatantly flirts with Soda, but Kira puts an end to that, saying “He’s my boyfriend, now back off unless you want a punch from a Winston.” Once the waitress realizes she’s a Winston, she backs off. Everyone knows not to mess with a Winston. “So, you guys ready for school?” Johnny asks. We all groan. “I don’t want to go back to school.” Arlene says. “I agree. Let’s just boycott school.” I suggest, and everyone agrees. We all know we have to go to school, but it’s a nice dream. 


	20. CHAPTER 19

ARLENE’S POV:

It’s the first day of school. Perfect. I already hate being back here. I’m getting my new locker. I start to unlock it and a boy starts to unlock the locker next to me. He has brown hair, combed back but without grease. He’s wearing a pair of nice pants and a letterman jacket. He must be a soc. I don’t make eye contact with him. I’d better not interact with him.

“Hey. I’m Ricky. I think we’ve met, we were in a lot of the same classes last year.” He tells me, sticking out his hand. So much for not interacting. I shake his hand. “I’m Arlene. I think we were in the same classes.” He smiles at me. “What class do you have first?” He asks me. I look at my schedule. “Math, in room 301.” I tell him. He looks at his schedule. “Me too! Let’s walk together.” He says. I walk with him, and we chat. He’s actually really nice. I’m surprised.

I grab a seat near the back of the class and he sits next to me. I give him a nervous look. “Shouldn’t you be sitting with the other socs near the front?” I ask him. He just snorts. “I don’t believe in the whole greaser-soc thing. It’s bullshit.” He says. I smile at that. We get to chatting. It’s fun. During the whole class, we fool around in the back, not getting any work done.

When the bell rings, we walk out into the hall. “You want to go meet at the Dingo for lunch on Friday?” he asks me. I blush. I must have given him the wrong idea. “Oh, Ricky, I’m really sorry but I have a boyfriend, I didn’t mean to give you the wrong idea-” I start, but he cuts me off. “As friends, not a date. I know you have a boyfriend.” he says. I nod, relief flooding over me. “So we're on for friday?” He asks. I smile at him. “Sure. Noon?” I say. He agrees, and we go our separate ways.

I go to the rest of my classes. Sam is in my history class, Pony is in my art class, and Johnny is in my english class. Johnny passes me notes the whole time, little hearts and whatnot. He’s adorable. I have them all in my pocket. I’m going to save them. I meet Sam, Pony, and Johnny by the front of the school to walk home. We meet up, and as we’re about to leave, Ricky comes running over. “Hey Arlene! Hey guys!” He says, waving at them. They all look at him suspiciously. “Guys, this is Ricky. He has the locker next to mine. Ricky, this is Johnny, Pony, and Sam.” I say. He smiles at all of them.

“Mind if I walk with you guys? We’re going in the same direction.” He tells me. I nod. He walks with us, and he seems oblivious to the glares Johnny keeps giving him. Johnny puts his hand over my shoulder protectively. When Ricky darts off to go in a different direction, they all seem to let out a collective breath. “I don’t like that guy.” Johnny says. “Jealous much?” I joke, but he frowns a bit. “Maybe.” he says softly. I give him a kiss on the cheek. “Aw, Johnny, I don’t look at him like that. You’re the only one for me.” I tell him. He smiles a bit after that.

“You shouldn’t be hanging out with him. He’s a soc.” Pony says. I sigh. I knew this was coming. “I know, but he seems like a genuinely nice guy. He told me he doesn’t believe in the soc-greaser thing.” I respond. “Just be careful, okay?” Sam says. I nod, and we walk the rest of the way home, barely talking.

RICKY’S POV:

When I saw Arlene this morning, my heart started pounding. She’s gorgeous. I’ve had a crush on her for ages. When I asked her out, I did mean it as a date, and when she told me she had a boyfriend, my heart plummeted. Luckily, I made a good save and I convinced her I see her as a friend. I was so happy when I caught her leaving school. It was nice to walk home with her. It really bugged me how Johnny had his arm on her shoulder, as if he was mocking me, saying “She’s mine.” 

I’m sure that after our sort-of date on Friday, Arlene will realize that I’m better for her than some hood. I just have to wait until then. If that doesn’t work, I’ll figure out another way. I will get her to love me, I know that much.


	21. CHAPTER 20

ARLENE’S POV:

I’m over at the Curtis house, hanging out with them before my lunch with Ricky. I’m about to head out, when Johnny asks me where I’m going. “I’m having lunch with Ricky.” I tell him. His eyes narrow. “Like a date?” he asks me. I roll my eyes. “Johnny, it’s just lunch. If you want, you can come with me.” I say. He relaxes a bit. “Alright. I’m coming with you. I don’t trust that guy.” He tells me. We start the walk there, hand in hand. When we arrive, I come inside, and I see Ricky already sitting in a booth. I slide in with Johnny across from him.

“Hey Johnny! I didn’t know you were joining us.” Ricky says, smiling. “I hope you don’t mind, I invited him.” I say. Ricky just shrugs, calm as always. A waiter comes over and we order. We chat while we wait for the food to come. “So, how long have you two been a thing?” Ricky asks. “A long time. A little less than a year.” I tell him. “And hopefully for many, many more years.” Johnny says, and I give him a quick kiss. He really is the sweetest. 

When the food arrives, we eat. Johnny steals some of my fries, and I laugh. We chat with Ricky, and the time flies. We talk for two hours. Ricky is a nice guy. When we finish, he even picks up the bill. He is a soc, so this is nothing for him, but it’s still a nice gesture. We head out, and he waves goodbye. I walk back with Johnny, happy I met Ricky. 

RICKY’S POV:

I can’t believe she brought Johnny. He was watching me the whole time. When they kissed, I wanted to push him away from her. I should be the one she’s kissing. The fact that she and Johnny have been together for such a long time is going to make it harder to break them up. This might sound like some evil plot, but I can treat Arlene better than that greaser could. If I want to have her to myself, I’m going to need to do something big. I think I have the perfect idea. Start a rumour. 

PONY’S POV:

When Arlene and Johnny get home, Johnny seems out of sorts. Arlene heads home, saying she has schoolwork to do. Johnny sits down on the couch and rubs his eyes. I sit next to him. “What’s wrong?” I ask him. He looks at me. “I’m worried about Arlene leaving me for Ricky.” He admits. I frown. “She won’t do that. She loves you, a lot.” I tell him. Sam comes over and sits next to me. “You should hear what Arlene says to me about you. She talks about you all the time, about how romantic and sweet you are.” She says. 

Johnny seems to calm down a bit, his worries fading. “I still don’t trust him.” He tells me. I have to agree with him. Something about Ricky bothers me. I just don’t know what. “Me neither.” I tell him. I don’t know if I can trust Ricky, but I know I can trust Arlene. She wouldn’t leave Johnny for anything. She looks at him like I look at Sam.

Soda and Kira come in the front door. Those two have been connected at the hip for weeks now, their fight forgotten. “Whatcha up to?” Kira asks, sitting on the couch, putting her legs over Sam’s lap. “Nothing, just talking.” Sam says. “What were you guys up to?” I ask. “Nothing much.” Kira responds. But when she turns her head, her shoulder tells another story. “Oh my gosh, Kira, is that a hickey?” Sam asks, laughing. Kira starts to blush, and Soda does too. “No.” She says, but we all know it is. “Nothing much, huh?” I joke. “You won’t tell Darry, right?” Soda asks. “Of course not. But he’ll figure out that you two were up to something when he sees that hickey.” I remind them. “I can help with that.” Sam says, pulling Kira up.

Sam leads Kira to the bathroom, and a few minutes later she comes back, and her hickey is covered up by makeup. You can barely see it. Soda raises an eyebrow. “Pony, why does Sam know how to cover up a hickey?” He says, eyeing me. “Take a guess, Soda.” I tell him, and he rolls his eyes. He walks past, but not before whispering “You better use protection.” In my ear. “We’re not doing that!” I yell after him, but he just waves me off. Sam comes and sits down next to me, chuckling. “Well, they were bound to learn of my hickey covering skills someday.” She says. I laugh, and put my arm around her shoulders.


	22. CHAPTER 21

ARLENE’S POV:

I’m at school in my first period. Everyone is whispering. Must be a new rumor. I don’t keep up with the gossip here. A greaser girl comes up to me. “I can see why he would.” She tells her friends, and they all laugh. I just raise an eyebrow. What the hell do they mean? Is this some sort of inside joke? I just brush it off. It must be nothing. They just wanted to pick on someone, and I was the nearest target. I expect it to end there.

But the rest of the day, everyone is giving me weird looks and whispering behind my back. I don’t know what’s going on. I’m getting my stuff from my locker at the end of the day, when Ricky comes up to me. He has a concerned look on his face. “How are you doing?” He asks me. I give him a confused look. “Good, you…?” I respond. He frowns a bit. “You haven’t heard yet?” He asks me. I shake my head. 

He takes a deep breath. “I hate to be the one to tell you this but… There’s a rumour flying around that Johnny was caught cheating on you with a girl from the Sheperd gang.” My heart seems to stop beating. “What?” I choke out. He looks at me sadly. He puts an arm around my shoulder. “Let me walk you home.” He tells me. I grab my stuff and we walk out of school. I feel a hot tear run down my face. “Are you sure?” I ask Ricky quietly. He nods.

I’m full on crying as he walks me home. I don’t bother telling Sam or Pony where I am. “How could he?” I say. Ricky holds me tighter. “I don’t know, but it’s his loss.” He tells me. “I loved him. I thought he loved me too.” I sob. Ricky pulls me into a hug, stroking my head. “Shh, it’s going to be okay.” he whispers. He holds me until I stop crying. He’s a good friend.

“Thanks.” I tell him. He smiles at me. “Anything for you, princess.” He says, and I chuckle a bit. I don’t know why he took to calling me that, but it makes me smile every time. He walks me the rest of the way home, chattering about this and that to try and get my mind off Johnny. It’s nice, but it doesn’t work. All I can think about is why? Why would Johnny do this to me? He said he loved me. I guess it was all a lie.

I get home and say goodbye to Ricky. I head straight to my room. Luckily no one is home, or else they would have asked why I was crying. I didn’t want to talk to anyone right now. Well, almost anyone. I pull up the phone and call the Curtis house. I can only hope Sam picks up. “Hello?” A voice says. It’s Pony. “Hey Pony. It’s Arlene. Can I talk to Sam?” I ask him. I hear movement, and then Sam speaks. “Arlene, what’s up?” She asks. I let out a little sob. “Arlene, what’s wrong? What happened?” She asks. “Can you come over?” I choke out. “I’ll be right there.” She tells me, then the line goes dead.

True to her word, Sam shows up within ten minutes. She must have run all the way here. She hates running, but she ran for me. That’s true friendship. She sits on my bed with me, and I cry into her shirt. “Johnny cheated on me.” I sob. Sam’s eyes narrow. “I’m going to kill him.” She growls. She holds me as I cry, reminding me of how awesome I am and how much I’m loved. She comforts me until I stop crying.

“We have to confront him.” Sam says once I calm down. My eyes widen. “No way. I’m not talking to him.” I tell her. “We have to see if this is true. This could just be a rumour.” She says. She’s right. “Fine.” I tell her. Then we begin to walk over to the Curtis house.


	23. CHAPTER 22

JOHNNY’S POV:

Arlene and Sam come in. I was worried like crazy about Arlene. She didn’t walk home with us, and I was worried she was in trouble, until she called Sam. When she walks in, and I go to hug her, but she shies away. Her eyes are red and puffy from crying. “Is it true?” She whispers. “Is what true?” I ask her. “Did you cheat on me with someone from the Sheperd gang?” She asks. I frown. How could she think that? I would never cheat on her. “No, who told you that?” I ask.

“It was all over school! Everyone was talking about how you cheated on me!” She yells at me. A tear escapes her eye. “I would never cheat on you!” I tell her. “How do I know I can trust you?” She shouts. “Because I love you!” I shout back. Sam and Pony have backed off, giving us the living room. “How do I know? Ricky told me about the rumour!” She yells at me. My eyes narrow. Ricky. Of course.

“You’re going to believe Ricky over me?” I yell. “I don’t know who to believe anymore!” She shouts. She’s crying freely now. I don’t know if I’ve ever yelled at anyone like this before. “I didn’t cheat on you!” I yell. “Sure! You say that to cover your own ass!” She shouts. I knew it would end like this, her choosing Ricky over me. “Non posso crederci! Dico che ti amo e tu stai dalla parte di quell'idiota! Fottiti! Siamo finiti!” I yell. She gives me a confused look, and I realize I’ve started speaking Italian. “What the hell does that even mean?” She asks, still shouting. “Significa che ci stiamo lasciando!” I yell. “It means we’re breaking up!” I translate. She goes silent.

Her face falls. “Fine.” She spits out. She walks out the front door, and I collapse on the couch, my head in my hands. I can feel the tears on my hands, but I don’t even care. Sam runs after Arlene, and Pony comes over to me. He rubs my back. “We just broke up.” I say, and I look up to face him. “It’s okay. You two will figure this out.” Pony says, trying to comfort me. “No, no we won’t. This is final.” I tell him. He doesn’t say anything for a few seconds.

“What did you yell at her in italian?” He asks me. I look at him. “I told her ‘I can’t believe you. I say I love you and you're on the side of that idiot. Fuck you. We’re finished.’” I tell him. He frowns a bit. “She’ll come around.” He says. I don’t think she will.

ARLENE’S POV:

Sam comes chasing after me. I let her catch up to me. “We broke up.” I told her. She rubs my shoulder. “It’s going to be okay.” she whispers to me. I turn towards her. “No it’s not! I just lost the love of my life over some stupid rumour!” I shout. Sam smiles sadly. “You need to talk to him.” She says. I shake my head. He won’t want to talk to me. He won’t forgive me, not after the horrible things I said. I wouldn’t forgive me if I was him.

“I’m going home.” I say, and I turn away. Sam walks me home, not saying anything. She can tell I need to be alone with my thoughts. I wave goodbye to her and walk to my room. I cry quietly, making sure that Two-Bit can’t hear me in case he’s here. Everything is screwed up. I love Johnny. I shouldn’t have believed that rumour. I don’t know what to do. I love him, but I fucked it up. I fucked it all up.

Two-Bit must hear me, because he come in. He sits on the bed next to me. “Arlene, what happened?” He asks me. I turn to him. “I heard a rumour that Johnny cheated on me, we argued, and then we broke up.” I sob. He pulls me into a hug. “Hey, it’s okay. Everyone makes mistakes.” He tells me. “But I don't think he’ll forgive me for this one.” I say. “He will. He loves you. You two are strong. You guys will figure it out.” He whispers. I want to agree, but I don’t think we can.

SAM’S POV:

I head back home, and gesture to Pony. He gets up, leaving Johnny on the couch. We meet outside. “Arlene feels terrible. She loves him, she said so.” I tell him. Pony looks at me sadly. “I don’t know if Johnny will forgive her. He looks more broken than I’ve ever seen him.” He says. “I don’t want to be in the middle of this.” I say quietly. Pony pulls me into a hug. “Me neither, but we’ll help them out. We’ll find a way.” he says. I can only hope he’s right.


	24. CHAPTER 23

ARLENE’S POV:

It’s been two weeks without seeing the gang, except for Sam and Two-Bit, since I live with him. I miss them all like crazy. I miss Johnny so much. I cry every night. Ricky tries to comfort me, but it doesn’t help. Johnny was a part of me, and that part is gone. I feel shattered, broken. A piece of me is missing. I feel empty. My life is falling apart around me.

I miss Johnny’s notes in class, the calls he gave me before bed. I miss going to the Dingo and the Nightly Double with him on dates. I miss walking home with him from school. I miss kissing him, I miss his smell, his eyes, his voice, everything about him. He was my soulmate. I love him so much, but I hurt him. I need to tell him I’m sorry. I need to let him know how I feel.

I clean myself up. I shower for the first time in days. I brush my hair and teeth, put on some makeup. Then I take a deep breath and start my walk to the Curtis house. Johnny will be there, I know it. The walk seems to go too fast. Before I know it, I’m here. I take a deep breath. I ready myself for what comes next. I walk up the steps and go through the front door.

The gang all runs up to me, asking me how I’m doing, where I’ve been. The only one who doesn’t come up to me is Johnny. He stays on the couch, not looking at me. “Johnny. I need to talk to you.” I say. He looks up at me. He doesn’t say anything, but he follows me outside. We walk to the lot in silence. When we get there, I turn to him.

“Johnny, I am so, so sorry. I should never have said any of those things. I shouldn’t have believed a rumour over you. I love you so much, and I miss you like crazy. I feel broken without you. I feel empty. I miss everything about you, you’re notes, you’re phone calls, your kisses. And I know you probably won’t ever forgive me, but I needed to tell you I’m sorry. I love you, Johnny Cade.” I say, the words rushing out of me. I have tears on my face.

Johnny looks at me. He doesn’t say anything. My heart breaks a little. He hates me still. But then, his mouth is on mine, kissing me, making up for the lost time. I lean into the kiss. His arms pull me close to him, and I fall into him. I missed him, this. We finally pull away when we run out of air. “I love you too, Arlene. I missed you so much.” he says, and a smile erupts on my face. He wipes a tear off my face and pulls me into a hug. I sink into him.

Then we walk back to the house, hand in hand. My hand is warm in his, something I missed. We walk back into the house, and everyone is looking at us. They see our hands, and they all smile. “So, you two are back together?” Sam asks. I nod. Everybody lets out a small cheer. I laugh, and we sit down on the couch. Darry gets started on dinner, 

The gang and I catch up on everything that we missed in those two weeks. Apparently Soda and Kira got caught making out on the couch when they thought no one was coming home, Dally slashed some tires, Steve flirted with a girl and her boyfriend threatened to beat him up, stuff like that. It feels like no time has passed at all.

I eat dinner with the gang, chatting and laughing. I missed being with them. When dinner is over, we watch a movie on TV. I watch with my head on Johnny’s shoulder, his arm around me. When the movie ends, I walk out to the front porch. I have to walk home with Two-Bit. Johnny walks me out. “I missed you so much.” He whispers to me. “I missed you too. I love you to the moon and back, Johnny Cade.” I say. He smiles. “I love you to the moon and back and then to the moon again.” He says. I laugh, and we kiss. The kiss lasts for a long time, until Two coughs to signal that we need to split up. I say goodnight, and walk away. I’m so happy to be back with Johnny. 


	25. CHAPTER 24

JOHNNY’S POV:

The next few weeks are like heaven. Arlene and I spend all the time we can together, making up for the two weeks we were apart. It was hard to forgive her fully at first, but I’m glad I did. She’s the best thing to ever happen to me. Just thinking about her brings a smile to my face. I can’t wait to see her at lunch. I have two periods to go, but then we get to eat lunch and hang out again. I watch the clock, counting down the minutes.

The time moves too slow, the teacher talking and talking, but the lunch bell rings, and I walk to the cafeteria. I grab our usual bench. Sam and Pony soon join me. I wait for Arlene.

ARLENE’S POV:

It’s lunch, and I go over to sit with Johnny. I slide in next to him, and he gives me a quick kiss. This quick kiss turns into a long kiss, which makes Pony and Sam very uncomfortable. Whatever. They kiss in front of us all the time, why can’t we do it in front of them? We pull away, and eat our lunch, talking with Sam and Pony. The lunch bell rings, and we say goodbye. I head to english with Johnny. We sit in our seats near the back, like usual.

When the teacher starts droning on and on about Romeo and Juliet, I see Johnny slip a note on my desk. I unfold it and look at what he wrote. It’s a cute drawing of a heart with a little note: You’re the Juliet to my Romeo. I blush a bit. I rip off a piece of paper and write him a note back: Except we don’t die at the end, with a little smiley face. I pass it to him, and he laughs a bit. He scribbles something else, and hands it to me.

It’s a picture of a baseball mitt, and it says ‘You’re quite a catch’. He’s adorable. I sketch a picture of our initials in a heart with an arrow through it. He smiles at it and sketches something else. We continue like this the whole period, making each other smile.

RICKY’S POV:

Arlene was talking to me throughout math, all about how she got back together with Johnny and how romantic he was. It crushed me. I put on a fake smile, but inside I was angry. I love Arlene, why can’t she see that? Johnny is no good for her. I thought they would be broken up for good, the way Arlene cried to me for weeks. Yet, somehow, she and Johnny made up. I guess I’ll have to love her from afar. That is, until she and Johnny break it off for good and she comes running to me, like I know she will. I really like her, and she will realize she likes me too.

KIRA’S POV:

I’m sitting in class, when I see someone at the window near my desk. It’s Soda. What is he doing here? I smile at him, and he grins at me. What an adorable dope. But he’s my adorable dope. I raise my hand and ask to go to the bathroom, and I head to the front of the school. Soda is waiting for me. “What are you doing here?” I ask him, giving him a kiss. 

“I wanted to see my girlfriend.” He says, smirking. I roll my eyes, but I smile. I guess I can skip one period. “C’mon, let’s go.” I tell him, and he grabs my hand. We walk away from school, together. This is the best part of my school day.


	26. CHAPTER 25

ARLENE’S POV:

TW: SEXUAL ASSAULT

There’s a big party at the Sheperd’s tonight. I’m going with the gang. I’m getting ready with Sam and Kira. Sam is wearing black jeans, a short blue crop top, and has her hair tied back in a low ponytail like usual. Kira is wearing a short pink skirt and a white top, her hair curled into blonde waves. I’m wearing a pair of ripped jeans and my tight red top. We’re all wearing lipstick and mascara. We all look hot, if I do say so myself. We walk into the living room, and I swear the boy’s jaws drop. 

Pony goes over to Sam, and starts complimenting her. Soda grabs Kira’s hand and leads her to the car. Johnny comes over to me. “You look amazing.” He says. I smile at him. I pull him out to the car, and we all climb in. Darry is driving us there, but he’s not staying. He’s not a big party person. We all sing along to the radio on the way, already rowdy.

When we arrive, the sun is setting and a lot of people are already drunk. We climb out and run into the party. Two-Bit immediately grabs a beer, Steve goes off to prowl for girls, Soda and Kira go to get some drinks, leaving Johnny, Sam, Pony, and I. We walk in. Pony goes to grab us some pepsis. None of us drink. Not because we’re too young, but because we’ve seen what it does to people. We don’t want to end up like them.

When we’re finished with our drinks, Johnny asks me to dance. I agree, and we all head to the dance floor. We all dance. Not good dancing, but it was fun. I take a break to cool off when I see Ricky. I walk over to him. “Arlene!” He slurs. He’s very, very drunk. “Hey Ricky.” I say. He goes back to his conversation with his friend, and I head back to Johnny. Pony and Sam ducked off somewhere, most likely to make out. Classy. 

Johnny and I talk, laughing while dancing a bit to the music. We’re enjoying ourselves when the boy Ricky was talking with comes over to me. “You Arlene?” I nod. “Ricky says he needs you upstairs.” He tells me. Then the guy walks off. I look at Johnny and shrug. “I'll be right back.” I tell him. He nods, and I push my way through the crowd and up the stairs. 

It’s quieter up here, but the echo of the music is still loud, pulsing through the floorboards. I peek into an open room, and see Ricky on a bed. I walk in. “What’s up, Ricky?” I ask him. “Can I talk to you?” he asks. I nod. He goes to close the door. He locks it. This must be important. “What’s going on? Are you okay?” I ask. Ricky starts to come closer to me. I sit on the bed next to him.

“Arlene, I like you. Like, as more than friends.” He says. I shake my head. “Ricky, I’m sorry, but you know I’m with Johnny. I love Johnny.” I tell him. He scowls. “I can make you love me.” he growls. “What-” I start, but he pushes me onto the bed, holding me down. I try to fight him, but he puts all his weight on me, and I can’t get up.

He starts to kiss my neck, then further down. Oh my god. I need to get out. I manage to get my hand free, and I punch his nose. He grunts, and blood starts to flow down his face. “You shouldn’t have done that.” He yells. Then he punches me. I see stars. I feel his hands on me, but I can’t do anything. My head is pounding. I feel the cold air on my skin, then everything becomes fuzzy. Everything is moving too fast. I feel pain. Then I hear someone banging on the door. “Johnny…” I say, then the world goes black.


	27. CHAPTER 26

TW: SEXUAL ASSAULT

JOHNNY’S POV:

It’s been almost ten minutes. She’s still not back. Something feels wrong. I can't explain it, but my gut is telling me that Arlene needs help. I see Two-Bit flirting with a girl. I run over. “Two-Bit, I need you.” He looks at me. “Can it wait?” He asks, gesturing to the girl he was flirting with. “I think Arlene is in trouble.” I tell him. His grin falls off his face. He sees Arlene like a little sister. He follows me as I run up the stairs. I walk into the hall, and I hear noise coming from one of the rooms. I try to open the door, but it’s locked. I bang on the door. I hear someone call out. “Johnny…” It’s weak. It’s Arlene. My heart plummets. I have to get in there. I try to break down the door, but it doesn’t budge.

Two-Bit pushes me out of the way and uses his foot to bust open the door, and I rush inside. I see Ricky on top of Arlene, and her shirt is pulled up a bit. Oh my god. I run over and force Ricky off of her. Rage consumes me. I start punching, punching, hitting and hitting until long after he’s out cold. I finally stop and run over to Arlene. She’s laying on the bed. She looks up at me. I feel tears in my eyes. “What did he do to you?” I whisper. She closes her eyes and she’s gone again. I ask Two-Bit to turn away as I pull her shirt down. I put my jacket around her, and lift her up. We walk out, down the stairs, moving through the party.

Dally, Pony, Sam, Steve, Soda, and Kira are all talking when they see us. They run over. “What the hell happened?” Soda asks. “Ricky.” I say. I push my way through the crowd, the gang following us. We run back to the house, only a quarter of a mile away. I run the whole way. When we get to the house, I scream for Darry. The door flies open and he sees us. He takes Arlene from me and lays her down on the couch. Everyone comes in, crowding the living room.

“What’s wrong?” Darry asks, looking over Arlene, the bruise on her cheek. I feel a tear escape my eye. “Ricky. I found him on top of her. I-I don’t know…” I can’t finish. I sink to the floor, Pony catching me. I should have gotten there sooner, I should have gone with her. I should have protected her. I should have been there. Arlene’s eyes flutter open. “Johnny?” She chokes out, her voice soft. I get up and run over. I grab her hand. “I’m here, baby. I’m here.” I whisper. A tear falls from her eyes and into her hair.

“Oh, Arlene.” I say. She looks so afraid. “He… He tried to… you came for me.” She sobs. “Of course I came for you.” I say, tears in my own eyes. “Did he… ” I ask her, not able to finish. If he stole her body from her, I don’t know what I’ll do. Worry is surrounding me, filling every inch of me. She closes her eyes. “No. He was about to, but you stopped him before he could.” I breathe a sigh of relief. Thank god. Her eyes flutter closed again. She’s asleep, the night taking its toll on her. I stand up, letting go of her hand. I gesture for everyone to meet in Soda's room so we don’t wake her up. They follow me in silence. 

When we close the door and everyone is there, Darry demands to know what happened. “What did that bastard do to her?” He asks. I close my eyes. “He was about to assault her, but he didn’t. We got there in time.” I say. The gang seems to relax a bit, the tension beginning to fade. “I’m going to get that Ricky kid.” Dally growls. That gang agrees with him. “If he had…. I don’t know what I would have done.” I say. I sit on the bed. The pain is palpable in this room.

Everyone is furious, worried, sad. Arlene is family. He hurt our family. I can’t hold back my tears anymore. My body shakes with my sobs. Pony sits next to me and rubs my back. The gang comes over to me. We all sit together, the shock of the night finally hitting us. I’m so glad Arlene is okay. At least, okay being a relative term. I’m glad she’s still whole. She’s still her. She didn’t have something stolen from her. She’s strong. She will make it through this.


	28. CHAPTER 27

ARLENE’S POV:

I wake up with a headache. My face aches. At first I’m confused about what happened. Then the events of last night come rushing back. I get up. I see the gang splayed about on the living room floor. Everyone is here. I tiptoe to the bathroom. I look in the mirror. I have a purple bruise covering one side of my face. I can’t believe Ricky did this. I can’t believe I thought he was a good guy. I’m startled out of my thoughts by Sam standing by the door. 

“I heard you get up. Figured you might want a change of clothes.” She tells me, smiling gently. I thank her, and she closes the door. I turn on the water, and wait for it to get hot. I undress and climb in. The water rushes over me, cleaning me of sweat and dirt, but I can still feel his hands on me, the feeling of him on top of me. I let tears drip down my face, mixing with the water as it swirls down the drain. I stay like that until the water starts to get cold. 

I climb out and dry off. I put on the clothes Sam gave me, a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. I walk out, and see the gang is up. Johnny comes up to me. “How are you feeling?” He asks me. I smile sadly. “Not great.” I say honestly. He pulls me into a hug. I walk into the living room and everyone is looking at me. Two-Bit comes over and pulls me into a hug. Then Pony joins, then Sam, and soon everyone is with me, wrapping me in a protective group hug. I feel safe for the first time since last night.

When we pull away, Darry gets started on breakfast. He fries some eggs and bacon. We all sit around the table and eat. I can barely get a mouthful down before I feel nauseous. I don’t eat any more food. I can’t right now. Johnny keeps looking at me with concern. He’s worried about me, and I don’t blame him. When everyone is done with breakfast, I sit down on the couch. Everyone gets a seat. They’re all staring at me. I feel like an animal in a zoo.

“We need to talk about last night. Are you really okay?” Darry asks. “As good as I can be.” I tell him. I really don’t want to relive last night. I just want it to be in the past, like it never happened. “And… He didn’t….” Darry starts. I shake my head no. He sighs deeply. “Thank God. Are you sure you're okay?” He asks me again. “Really, you guys, I’m fine. I just want to erase it from my memory, pretend like it never happened.” I say. They all nod. They seem to understand.

We spend the rest of the morning watching Mickey Mouse. We’re about to cook lunch when someone knocks on the door. No one ever knocks. Darry goes to open it. It’s Ricky. I back away and Johnny puts me behind him. “What do you want?” Darry hisses. “Look, I came to apologize.” He says. “Get out, you son of a bitch.” Two-Bit yells at him. The gang gets in front of me, a human shield to keep him away from me. 

I’m shaking. I feel fear wash over me as memories from last night come flooding back. Johnny holds me, and I calm down a bit in his arms. “Arlene, I am so sorry. I was drunk, and I didn’t know what I was doing-” he starts, but Johnny cuts him off, fire in his eyes. He walks forward, towards the door.

“Stop making excuses.” He hisses. “You almost raped her, you would have if we hadn’t stopped you. You can’t apologize for that and expect her to accept your apology.” He yells. I’ve never heard him this mad. “Now leave.” he shouts. Ricky stares at me for a moment, but he turns and leaves. I fall to the ground, tears in my eyes. Johnny comes running over to me. “He’s gone. I’ve got you. You’re safe.” He whispers to me. He hugs me close to him until my tears stop. 

“He’s never going to hurt you again.” Johnny says. 


	29. CHAPTER 28

ARLENE’S POV:

I have to go to school today. Two-Bit let me stay home for two days, but he told me I have to go today. He’s turning into an older brother. I don’t mind it, if I’m being honest. I’m standing outside the school right now. I take a deep breath. I have anxiety in the pit of my stomach. Johnny is standing next to me, holding my hand. “Johnny, I’m scared.” I admit. He squeezes my hand and gives me a small smile. “I’ll walk you to every class. If you need me, come and get me. I’m here for you.” He tells me. I start to walk into the school.

He walks with me to my locker. People stream past, faces blurring as they go by. I don’t see Ricky anywhere, and I’m relieved. I get to my locker and grab my books. I walk to math when I see him. He’s standing by the door of the classroom. The anxiety in me grows. Seeing his face reminds me of what he did. Memories flood my mind, but Johnny brings me back to reality by squeezing my hand. “Take a breath. I won’t let him hurt you.” he whispers. I nod, and we walk towards the classroom. When Ricky sees me, he comes over to me. Johnny pushes me behind him. “Leave her alone.” He hisses. 

“I need to talk to you, Arlene. Alone.” Ricky says, his voice low. I take a breath. “Not going to happen.” Johnny says. I seem to have lost my voice. I can’t speak. Ricky narrows his eyes. “Stay out of this. This is between me and Arlene.” Ricky says. “I don’t want to talk to you.” I choke out. I gain some confidence. I raise my voice. “You hurt me. You broke me. I don’t want to see you, talk to you. Leave. Me. The fuck. Alone.” I tell him. He tries to come towards me, and reaches for my hand. Johnny swings his fist, knocking Ricky to the ground. People are watching, but no one does anything. They all just gawk. “Stay away from her. If I ever see you near her again, I will skin you. Got it?” Johnny shouts. Ricky stands up. 

“I just wanted to let you know I’m sorry. I should never have done that. I’ll stay away from you. If that’s what you really want.” Ricky growls. Then he turns his back on us and walks away. All the air I had been holding in leaves me. Johnny wraps me in a hug. “He’s gone. He’s gone.” He whispers in my ear. I’m free of him. The memories will be there forever, but he won’t be able to hurt me again. I’m safe from him.

The bell rings, and Johnny has to head to his first period. I walk into math. I sit down in my chair. Throughout the whole class, the desk next to mine stays empty. The memory of Ricky is there, but he will never sit there again. I focus on my work, catching up on everything I missed. When the class ends, Johnny is waiting for me outside the class. He walks me to all of my classes, checks in on me throughout the day, gives me kisses. He is the sweetest guy I have ever met. 

I make it through the school day. I survived. I feel strong. I meet Sam, Pony, and Johnny to walk home. They all ask me about how my day was. “It was fine. I felt… normal again.” I say. They smile at that. They don’t push me any farther on the way home. They let me talk when I feel like it and stay silent when I don’t. When we get to the house, Soda, Steve, Two-Bit, and Dally are already there. They all wave at us. 

“I have some good news.” I tell them. They all look at me. “Ricky said he’d stay away from me.” I say, a smile on my face. They cheer, and Dally shouts “He better!” We get some snacks and sit on the couch. We play some games and watch some TV. Life finally feels like it’s going back to normal again. I don’t think I’ll ever be the same after that night, but I will be stronger because of it. I have the gang here for me. They will support me no matter what. They are there for me.

**A/N: I know, kind of a rushed ending. I wasn't sure how to end it. Hope you liked the book!**


End file.
